Founded in 1949, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is China's highest academic institution and national think tank in science and technology, and the national strategic force in basic research and integrated high-tech development.

CAS integrates research institutes, academic divisions, and educational institutions into a unified system, with research covering nearly all areas of the natural sciences. It currently comprises 108 research institutes, two universities, six academic divisions, 908 CAS Members, as well as 173 international CAS Members from more than 30 countries.

In addition, CAS undertakes the construction and operation of a large number of China’s major scientific and technological infrastructure projects. To date, 29 large research infrastructures are already in service and 18 more are under construction, together accounting for more than half of the national total.

Guided by “the Four Strategic Orientations”—advancing the frontiers of global science and technology, serving the main battlefield of the national economy, meeting the major needs of the nation, and safeguarding the health and well-being of the people—CAS has achieved a series of pioneering scientific breakthroughs. CAS now ranks among the world leaders in chemistry, physics, materials science, environmental and ecological sciences, and earth sciences, among other disciplines. It has also topped the Nature Index, which evaluates high-quality scientific output in the natural sciences, for 13 consecutive years.

The two universities under CAS are the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), which together enroll nearly 10,000 undergraduate students and over 98,000 graduate students, with doctoral candidates comprising approximately 45% of the graduate population.

CAS has always placed great emphasis on international scientific and technological collaboration and exchange. It has established extensive partnerships with nearly 200 research institutions, universities, enterprises, and international science and technology organizations worldwide.